Gentlemen Riders 



remained until the back end of 1905, when he started on his 

 own account at Weyhill. 



His first ride in public, which proved to be a winning one, 

 was at either the Whitsuntide or Easter Meeting — he does not 

 quite remember which — at Cardiff, in 1907, on a horse called 

 Missionary, belonging to Sir Peter Walker, and was obtained 

 quite by chance. Mr. Gwyn Saunders-Davies was to have 

 had the mount, but, having missed his train, wired to Mr. 

 Pratt to find a substitute. In their dilemma, Mr. Moore was 

 aj^pealed to in the matter. " Garry " was not particularly keen 

 about getting young Frank a mount, no doubt thinking he rode 

 too much as it was. However, he said — 



" Well, my nephew is here, and going to ride for me to-day, 

 and if you think he is all right, I will ask him whether he would 

 like the mount." 



"If he's good enough for yotty Mr. Moore, he is sure to do 

 Sir Peter's horse," replied the official ; and young Frank, as 

 might be expected, being only too willing, he lost no time in 

 donning the colours and weighing out. 



"The old chap pulled a lot," says Frank Hartigan, in 

 describing the race, "and I had to wait with him, so I held him 

 behind for a mile and three-quarters, then let him stride along 

 the last two furlongs, and won, hard held, by about six lengths." 



Having won six out of his first ten rides, Frank might 

 well be excused for thinking that winning steeplechases was 

 a very easy matter — an opinion he somewhat modified later on. 



After such a beginning as this, the subject of our chapter 

 went ahead with giant strides — perhaps a reputation has 

 never been built up so rapidly as his — and it was hard lines 

 indeed that so brilliant a career should have been nipped in the 

 bud in the manner it was ; but the after effects of a series of 

 bad falls, added to the persuasions of his friends, left him 



458 



